After a long wait, early adopters of hydrogen-powered clean-air vehicles in San Diego County now have access to a second filling station. In early May, four hydrogen dispensers became operational at a renovated Mobil station located on Mission Center Road at Friars Road.
When hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles were initially introduced in California back in 2017, there was only one station available in the county, a Shell franchise in Carmel Valley, which had just a single dispenser. As demand increased, waiting lines grew, and the station consistently operated near capacity, as reported in annual state reports.
In September 2020, the California Energy Commission announced funding for four additional hydrogen filling stations in the county, as part of Assembly Bill 8. Currently, the station in Mission Valley is the only one among the four that has opened, while the stations in Carlsbad, Poway, and Mission Hills are still in the permitting process.
California strongly supports fuel cell technology for vehicles and has made a commitment to have 100 operational filling stations statewide by 2025.
Manufacturers such as Toyota, Hyundai, and others produce vehicles that utilize compressed hydrogen to generate electricity through a chemical process, resulting in water being the only byproduct emitted.
